Lefferts Gardens Welcomes Montessori Elementary School

Lefferts Gardens Montessori, a Montessori school that focuses on a child-centered education, is set to open its elementary school in Brooklyn in the fall.

Lefferts Gardens Montessori in Prospect Lefferts Garden takes a child-centric approach to education.

Montessori’s nurturing early childhood education program will be offered at a new and innovative elementary school in Brooklyn.

Lefferts Gardens Montessori in Prospect Lefferts Gardens is based on the method developed by Maria Montessori, M.D., and is set to open this upcoming academic school year for children ages 5 to 10. Micaela Almeda, head teacher and director of the elementary program, says the elementary school was built by demand because of the popularity of the Montessori elementary programs.

The Montessori method takes a child-centered approach to education. Its aim is to foster the self-esteem and the development of each child as a whole while offering the best education possible. With a cap of 10 students per teacher, the school wants to keep its classes small so that teachers can take their time to help each student progress and master their coursework.

Believing that all learning is cohesive, teachers create individual work plans for the students that incorporate common core standards, such as math and language, into the fields of learning students are interested in. For example, if a student likes art but hates math, the Montessori method draws connections between art and math, making math a more interesting experience for the learner. Overall, the goal of the Montessori method is to help students to want to learn on their own.

“[We] teach them to always be curious,” Almeda says.